Sunday, June 15

Watercress, Avocado, and Orange Salad and Meeting Food Bloggers

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of enjoying lunch in La Jolla with four lovely and talented food bloggers: Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen(center), Amanda of What We're Eating (back right), Nicole of Pinch My Salt (front left) and Alice of alice q. foodie (front right). You can check out the wonderful food we ate over at Kalyn's Kitchen. (Thanks, Kalyn, for sending me this picture).

Among the different topics of conversation, places to live came up. When Kalyn mentioned that she had a beautiful garden in Utah, there was a collective "Awwwww " and many variations of "I wish I had a garden." Then Kalyn added, "Yeah, but don't forget that when I'm freezing in the winter in Utah, you're enjoying beautiful weather here."

When I mentioned that I live downtown, Nicole said, "I'd love to live downtown." Though when she announced she was starting a garden in her new house, I lamented that I can't even keep basil alive on my condo deck.

Life really is relative, isn't it?

We all agreed, however, that having a fruit tree in your yard would rock. In fact, our lease is up soon, and Jeff and I are looking around to buy. He's leaning towards a condo, but I keep sending him emails for houses with lines like: "Lovely mature avocado tree in the backyard."

Lots of people in San Diego have avocado trees. In fact 95% of avocados produced in the US come from Southern California with a whopping 60% from San Diego county.

Thankfully we have friends like Terri who have avocado trees and generously share their bounty with us. We've enjoyed Terri's fresh, delicious avocados in everything from breakfast egg sandwiches to salsas.

Hass avocados (pictured above) are the most widely consumed avocado in the US and are available year round. It's easy to tell when these oval shaped fruits are ripe: their deep green pebbled skin turns almost black. The pale green flesh of the Hass avocado is creamy and custard-like and has a rich, slightly nutty flavor.

Fuertes avocados, another popular California variety, also have a smooth, pale green flesh but have a fruitier flavor. Since Fuertes avocados have a lower fat content than the Hass variety, the flesh tends to be less creamy. Unlike the Hass, its green skin is smooth and retains its color even when fully ripe, so check for ripeness by gently squeezing it: it should yield slightly.

Avocados get a bad rap for being "fattening." That's not completely true. They are high in monosaturated fator "good" fat which can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol. Still, it's wise to eat them in moderation since they're dense in calories: one-fifth of a medium avocado, or about 2-3 thin slices, has 50 calories and nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (which are believed to reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, and cancer).

Here are some tips about handling and storing avocados:

Firm avocados can take up to 1 week to ripen. To quicken the ripening process, place the avocado in a paper bag with a yellow banana. The banana releases ethylene which speeds up the ripening process.

Store avocados on the counter until ripe, then refrigerate until ready to use.

The flesh of an avocado oxidizes, or turns brown, quickly. To prevent discoloration, sprinkle the cut flesh with lime or lemon juice. Also don't cut the avocado until you're ready to use it.

Watercress (pictured above) is a bright green leafy vegetable with an intense peppery flavor. In this salad, its sharp edge is balanced with the cool creaminess of the avocado and the sweet tang of the orange.

48 comments:

It really is relative isn't it? (Although I definitely vote for a house, especially if it has avocado trees!) It was so fun meeting everyone. Thanks again for the ride, and I hope we can have another lunch or dinner sometime!

So much fun - what a great idea you all had to meet up... but an even greater idea... an avocado tree. Wow - what I wouldn't do for one of those. I don't know how it'd do here in the Mid-Atlantic but that sure is tempting.

Thanks for mentioning my name in your blog regarding the avocados...although I have to give the credit to Rick (my boyfriend) who has a 10 acre family ranch out in Fallbrook,he generously supplys me with the avocados during their twice a year pick. They are so yummy that I just have to share them with friends :-)

Wow, that looked like a fun afternoon! I wonder if I'll be eyeballing anyone soon...

Actually, 250 calories for a whole avocado doesn't seem so bad. Especially since it's still way lower than a slice of cream cake. The problem with me is I usually flood it with condensed milk-- that certainly can't be good for anyone! (Well, not good for the body, but it is good for the soul, haha!) Beautiful salad! Very Californian!

I know I probably don't get to vote... but buy the house with a garden. After a lifetime of living in cities, I now live in a place where I can have a large herb garden (and veggies, too, though I haven't made that leap yet). And we inherited two pear trees on the property, which are the joy of every summer.

Oh, sigh... I do miss living in California... just for the local produce. Avocados are off my shopping list, sadly, as I'm not buying any produce that requires more than a day's drive to get here. Except for lemons and olives. :-)

Your salad is just beautiful... and how wonderful to have met so many excellent bloggers!

Susan, it really feels like we're in the same boat! My husband and I are constantly thinking about where we want to live (Ft. Lauderdale is ok, but it's not for us). Problem is we bought a condo about 3 years ago and won't sell it unless we can make a profit. I would love to have a garden (mine would have a fig tree), but we don't want to buy again right away, and we like living in a city. Such dilemmas!

What a fun lunch that must have been! The avocado salad looks amazing! One of my favorite summer dishes. I like to have a half for dinner drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and ground pepper.

I wanna come to one too! Sounds so fun! I'm in the States for the month of July...anything happening in Seattle? Utah? Las Vegas or LA? Lemme know and I'll bring some Aussie food! hahahahaBeautiful recipe and photos BTW

love the salad, love the idea of an avocado tree, and what a fun lunch! if i can find a manhattan apartment with any kind of fruit producing tree on the premises, that is definitely where my fiance and i are moving!

That must have been such a fun lunch! I so enjoy meeting other bloggers, especially when they love food. I'm going to miss not being able to go to the BlogHer Conference this year. What a great time I had at the food blogger dinner.

First of all, I am beyond jealous. 1) That you all got to meet up. I bet that was such a fun time! 2) That anyone would have an avocado tree in their backyard. Oh what I wouldn't do to be able to walk outside and pick a fresh avocado off a tree!

What a great photo you all - and look at you, Susan! so *tall* and gorgeous! I am deeply envious of your meeting up - sounds like you had a blast. And I fully hear you about all things being relative. Here in the UK I pine for proper, ripe avocados (possible to find but not easy) which were plentiful in South Africa, but then if I were to go there I'd miss the plentiful salmon here, The bottom line is that the grass is not always greener on the other side, but it's always a different shade of green :)

Hmmm, I wonder if my emails fall into your spam trap, because I've emailed you twice with no response but you seem like quite an attentive to me. ;-) Received your salad entry, thanks. Did you receive the badge I sent you a few weeks ago? Also, would you like to be a judge this time round?